Why?
by Companion of Insanity
Summary: Harry's frustrated, and Cisco's available, and unaware of just how frustrated Harry is. WARNING TAGS: some blood, some tearing - NOT RAPE, male lactation
1. Chapter 1

"What did you just ask me?!" Cisco all but screeched. Though, his face had turned a bit red.

"I asked if I could touch-"

"-Yeah, yeah, I got that part. But...why would you want to..."

"Truth be told, I'm curious."

Cisco stared in astonishment at Harrison Wells. The same man who'd had a chip on his shoulder since arrival from Earth-2 several months ago just asked if he could get a feel of the young engineer's ass! Cisco strained a sound of confusion from his throat. Not that he wasn't flattered. Honestly it wouldn't be the first time someone put their hands there. But Harry sure as hell was the first person to ask permission.

"Why are you even asking?! Most people just," he paused at the faint glint of rage in the older scientist's eyes, "most people just go for it."

Harry's eyebrows narrowed and his ice blue eyes lit up. "I hope you didn't put up with it," he said stalking towards Cisco.

"No, they went home with opera lessons," he confirmed, backing into his work table. Harry's eyes seemed to glow with a note of...joy...in that statement, and the Hispanic boy was careful to jot that down in his head. Still, the initial answer he'd been given to his earlier question wasn't much of an answer.

"Why are you curious?" he asked, voice faltering a bit.

Harry sighed and grabbed a spare chair, wheeling it over near Cisco and he sat down. The distance was comfortable, not too close. Now for the answer. The truth was a bit more...grotesque, unfortunately. And at that moment Harry wondered if honesty really was the best policy. He really didn't think the boy could handle the truth.

"You don't answer, you don't get to touch," Cisco warned. He was serious, too. Harry saw that.

"What if you don't like my answer?" he countered. There was always that chance of not getting anywhere, even with being honest.

"Try me," Cisco ordered.

Harry sighed. "I'm curious because I haven't been laid in some thirty years, so I'm asking you now before I just take."

This made Cisco pause. "You would do that? You would just..." He left off there, feeling no need to finish that sentence. Harry leaned back in the chair. Cisco could see a frightening amount of suppressed stress and frustration in his eyes. If Harry told him it was really tempting to just jump him, he'd scare him.

"Alright," he finally caved. He turned around and planted his hands on his work table. His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink, making Harry smile and chuckle softly. Again, adorable.

Cisco heard the chair move away, signaling that Harry had gotten up. He heard quiet footsteps, and he could swear he almost heard the man's heart beating in his chest. His own beat just as loudly. Truth was, he had never really put himself in a vulnerable position so deliberately before. So it made him nervous. Cisco felt body heat radiating against his back, telling him Harry was officially in his personal space.

"What are your rules?" the scientist asked. The boy in front of him blinked. He hadn't thought of any. But he still took the question as a good sign. The fact that Harry asked before he started meant he cared about Cisco's boundaries.

"Just...don't go too far south...o-or north. I don't think I'm ready for that." This was said rather quietly. But Harry still heard him. He nodded, though Cisco didn't see it. This also gave him a little room to explore, though severely limited. "Alright," he agreed. Then he reached out. It had been a while since Cisco allowed his ass to be touched. So it was fitting that his senses were heightened significantly. And Harry didn't just grab, either. He was gentle. Rubbing his hands against denim clad cheeks, he sighed at the first human touch he'd had in a while. Yes, he embraced his daughter and occasionally pat Cisco or Barry on the back, but he didn't count it as pure human interaction.

Cisco's eyelashes fluttered softly at such careful ministrations. Harry gripped him through the denim of his jeans, squeezing gently at first, then hard, smiling when a clear shiver ran up the Hispanic's spine. He had a good hold on him. There was an urge to dig his nails in as best as he could, and Harry did, earning a delightful little hiss from Cisco. He hooked his nails as best as he could and stroked little circles with his thumbs. Little tingles of pleasure flew straight to Cisco's brain and then u-turned back down to his crotch.

His nerves were sparking all over with sensation. Warmth drew closer as Harry pressed himself flush against Cisco's back, enjoying the interaction. He was careful not to put his hands too far forward as per Cisco's orders. Harry was enjoying this too much; he didn't want to spook him. But he did drift up slightly, eager to have the engineer's fair heated flesh beneath his hands. But that infernal jacket was in the way. He couldn't be discreet about it. He sighed loudly and went for it, forcing his hands up under both jacket and shirt, and Cisco gasped loudly at the cool hands suddenly gripping at his waistline. And that was a little north for him. Almost too close to his very _suddenly_ tingling chest.

Cisco's whole frame shook. Now was not the time for that! That was the last thing he needed right now. The boy didn't need Harry finding out about that quirk at all.

"Too high, Harry. Please..." To some slight surprise on Cisco's part, the man listened. His hands immediately left their place. For Harry, it was simple. He'd been given a set of rules, he was going to follow them. He also didn't want to scare Cisco into cutting physical contact too soon.

"When was the last time you satisfied yourself?" Harry asked quietly. The engineer shuddered. "I forget."

One hand drifted back down towards Cisco's denim clad butt, the other towards the hem on the front of Cisco's jeans. But it didn't go any farther. The engineer took a shaky breath and his head dropped against Harry's shoulder. "May I...?" the older scientist asked, roughly kneading one of the engineer's cheeks to pass the time. And he was almost curious of what the flesh of the engineer's ass would feel like in his hands. He just couldn't stick to the rules. So now he was relying on permission for advancement.

Cisco groaned in frustration. This was killing him! He didn't want sex, but didn't want to be left sitting in the lab for the rest of the day with an erection! He was so hard it hurt! Harry had basically offered to get him off, and with the current situation his head, he was having a hard time finding a middle ground. "Harry..." he sobbed hysterically, "just...no...dammit,no! I can't...this isn't fair!"

He couldn't make up his mind! With one hand squeezing his ass, the other teasingly close to his dick, and his chest tingling dangerously, he had no clue what he wanted. "What am I doing next, Ramon?" the older man asked. He was getting anxious. He had his own hard-on to deal with, too. He just needed to know if he was on his own or if he was getting them both off.

"Harry... ...oh, screw it. Go ahead," Cisco caved in. Harry gave a shaky exhale at the voice and let go of Cisco's ass to turn him around. His sight was greeted with Cisco's flustered expression and wide pupils. Carefully, he grabbed the boy's hips and lifted him up to sit on the table.

From there he leaned into the boy's personal space again, and gently kissed Cisco's forehead before his hands started to creep up Cisco's legs. Cisco shivered at the touches. His breathing was labored and shaking and he spread his legs invitingly. This made Harry chuckle. This boy, his boy, was eager.

Yes, that sounded better to him in his head. He liked that little note of possession. But to say that aloud right now might not be good for him.

"Harry, come on! Please!" Now Cisco really wanted it. And that whine...it went straight to Harry's hardened cock. His fingers got busy, easily popping the button on Cisco's jeans and sliding the zipper down. But he slid it down slowly. Another whine and the boy dropped his head onto the older scientist's shoulder. "Dude, you're killing me, here!"

An evil smile took over Harry's face as he leaned into the boy more, to the extent that Cisco was on his back on the table with his head hanging over the edge, and Harry was bent over him, almost at a ninety degree angle. And their erections were rubbing together. The angle was perfect. Harry snaked his hand between their bodies and slid it into Cisco's jeans. Pure, heated flesh greeted him and he gripped it tightly. "You went commando? Just how much of a rush were you in this morning?" he quipped.

The body beneath him shook in pleasure. Finally, some satisfaction! Having almost a death hold on Cisco's aching erection made Harry bury his face in the crook of the boy's neck. He started to slowly stroke his hand, and Cisco's chest began to rise and fall rapidly. He clawed at the table desperately, wanting something to hold onto.

One leg wrapped itself up and around Harry's lower back and Cisco's hands reached out, gripping the man's shoulder with one and tangling the other in his ridiculous hair. Too long. It had been too long since he'd satisfied himself, and even longer since someone had attempted to satisfy him. Cruelty at its finest, Cisco's companions over the years had never lasted long. Thanks to a little quirk in his genetics that made itself known every time he got aroused. Thankfully, he'd managed to keep it hidden from boyfriends and the occasional girlfriend. For which, he was incredibly grateful.

But now he was struggling to pay attention. He could feel his shirt slowly dampening in the back of his mind. Lord help him now if Harry noticed. His hoodie at least covered his chest for the most part.

A solid jerk of Harry's wrist brought Cisco back with a strangled cry. His skin was burning all over with a red hue, jaw slack with every shaky breath. His pupils were blown wide with lust, lips trembling and hands shaking where they grasped tightly at the older man's shoulder and hair.

Harry switched between different amounts of pressure as he stroked, making both of Cisco's legs rattle. As good as this was, to the engineer, it wasn't enough. Sex had not been a part of the plan, initially, but right now he really wanted it. Even though he knew that he would regret giving in to his highly active loins.

Harry's eyes lit up with worry when both of Cisco's hands grabbed his shoulders and pushed him up. Breathing heavily, the boy looked up at him with heated lust and caramel skin tinted red. "Move me to the floor. Now." Harrison knew what this meant. Now he had one of the highest of clearances.

And thank the multiverse that they were the only two in the building. As soon as the order was given, Harry all but dragged Cisco down to the cold floor and ripped off his own black jacket. It was really getting in the way. The jacket revealed an equally black t-shirt, making Cisco's head spin. Harry never wore short sleeves. Never.

"You bastard, you were hoping for this!" Cisco snarled, but he reached up to grip the man's biceps through his short sleeves. Harry's arms were thin, just like the rest of him. But what little was there was solid. "...maybe," Harry supplied, reaching down towards Cisco's now leaking cock. The body beneath him hitched at the returned touch.

"I swear to god, if I weren't so desperate I'd kill you." That was good to know. Harry stroked gently, earning a soft sigh and he gripped the belt loops. When he tugged, Cisco stared up at him, face still a bit red and pupils taking over brown irises. Harry was waiting for the final green light. This was Cisco's last chance to kick him in the stomach and run. He remained still as a set of hands reached up and cupped his face gently. Cisco was, in this sense, a virgin. He had topped before, both girlfriends and boyfriends, but he had never been on the receiving end. So he knew what went into this.

But...was it right? He had allowed Harry to touch him out of curiosity. Now, they both needed this to satisfy themselves. So, it wasn't really being done out of love or trust. It was being done out of the blue. And as a result, Cisco was hesitant in giving such power to Harry. This was familiar, yet new.

Harry looked down at him and tugged at those belt loops again, this time more gently. Finally, after some questioning of morals, Cisco's breath shook as he reached down to lock his fingers with those of the older scientist. He gulped, but gave his own tug on his jeans. "Just be careful."

Harry gave a breathy groan and leaned in to kiss him, using both hands now to slide his jeans down. Beautiful caramel colored flesh stretched over nice pelvic bones greeted him, the occasional scar texturing the skin. It was perfect. He loved scarred skin. Flesh that was unmarked made him cringe and want to rip it open. Skin wasn't perfect until it was damaged. Then, and only then, did he find it beautiful.

"You need another one," Harry whispered huskily, reaching back behind him to rip Cisco's sneakers off. "Another what?" the Hispanic whined, kicking his shoes off for Harry, allowing him to yank his jeans off. But, the older scientist was in such a rush, he only cleared one pant leg. The rest of Cisco's jeans were bunched up at his right ankle and his shirt had ridden up his flat stomach. "Here," the other sighed, tracing his fingers along the barren skin of the younger's belly, "you need another scar. Your skin is too smooth here."

Cisco shuddered. "Later... Just fuck me, already." Harry smiled at the demand. His ice blue eyes were alight with the possibility of being allowed to rip the boy's skin open with no repercussions. But for now, the task at hand was more important. He surprised Cisco by forcing his fingers into his mouth. Yes, Harry had come in here hoping to get a happy ending, but he also was aware that Cisco might have turned him down. So he didn't have any lube with him.

Large, wide brown eyes stared up at the scientist, but a tongue started to dance between long fingers, slowly getting them nice and slick. Harry watched intently at the movements, watched how they were being performed so smoothly. "You've done this before," he quipped. Cisco glared and bit down. Harry retracted his fingers with a sharp "ouch!" and growled. "This isn't my first rodeo, dude. Just my first one on the receiving end," Cisco responded, slightly offended.

Harry stared at his fingers, fresh teeth marks just under the middle knuckles. Bright red and bleeding at the edges, they would make perfect scars. The concept shot straight to his rock hard cock. "You looking to mark me up, too?" Another tingle shot through Cisco's body, and he clenched his teeth when his shirt started to cling to his chest. He couldn't respond to that.

"I'm waiting, Harry," he whispered. Ice blue eyes were heated, and said man reached between his legs. His other hand went for a bare thigh to dig his nails in, while Cisco felt the first trace the flesh of his entrance. He bit his lip. Two fingers pushed past the tight ring, and Harry groaned. Warmth. Pure warmth greeted him. His fingers slid in easily, the mixture of his blood and Cisco's saliva doing the trick. And his heart skipped many beats in knowing that he was Cisco's first for this.

Harry curled his digits slightly and turned his hand, hitting something that made Cisco yelp. Right there, Cisco started to become eager. He wanted the man to hurry up already and take him because sooner or later, his hoodie was bound to get wet. It's a wonder the cloth wasn't damp already. His shirt was definitely soaked, though.

He shifted his hips, desperate for Harry to just fuck him already. Harry slid his fingers out from Cisco's warm hole in protest to the movement. "Just do it already! Please!" the engineer demanded. "You're in such a rush," Harry mused, "Care to tell me why?" But he took some pity on him and unzipped his pants. Cisco watched in slow motion as the man's thick, throbbing cock came into view, and he gently nudged his entrance. But he didn't enter right away like Cisco wanted. "First time is going to hurt, Ramon," Harry warned.

"Dammit, Harry, I don't care! Just fuck me and stop- - _Agh!"_

Harrison thrust forward in wild abandon, burying himself to the hilt. A new wetness wrapped around him as he remained still for Cisco to adjust. This wetness was warmer than the boy's insides. Only by just a few degrees, but it was noticeable. Cisco's legs rattled and shook. He felt like he'd just been ripped in half. His hands launched up to grip at Harry's arms when he shifted ever so slightly, his face scrunched up in pain. And then he felt it.

Something warm slid down the flesh of his cheeks. "I think your skin may have torn a bit," Harry grunted. Cisco's nails dug sharply into the other's arms, making angry red and almost purple welts. "I gathered," he replied with baited breath. They remained there for a few minutes. Harry stayed still while Cisco shook. Hell of a way to give the engineer his first time.

But Harry was patient. And as Cisco's breathing evened out, he slowly opened his eyes. Harry leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against his forehead in apology. Cisco shivered and shuddered at it, and the movement. So Harry started to trail kisses down the boy's jaw, biting occasionally. The truth was hidden beneath Cisco's pained expression, but he was loving every single kiss and committing each one to memory.

He was deliberately holding back a reaction. He wanted Harry to feel sorry for hurting him. But if he ever evaluated the situation with a clear head, he would have realized that it was mostly _his_ fault he was hurting. ''Are you okay?'' Harry finally asked. He was concerned. Again, this was a hell of a way to give him his first time.

Harry decided that a distraction was necessary. So he gripped at the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, movements jostling the body beneath him. Cisco was ready to help when he caught sight of the black cloth being removed. ''Querido Dios... Harry...are you trying to fuck me or kill me?'' A chuckle rippled through the other and he grabbed Cisco's clothed waist with both hands. ''Right now, Ramon, what's the difference?''

And then he started to move. Slow, sweet, and steady, Harry started to pull out and thrust back in. Cisco moaned quietly at the sparks of pain mixing with tidbits of pleasure. He could feel Harry moving in him slowly, and it was bliss. He was loving it.

In fact, Cisco began to wonder why he'd passed this up. Of the few relationships he'd had in the past, most were with guys younger than him, and he topped. All of them. And he stayed dressed, and they were faced down on the mattress. Not that any of them had complained. He made sure they were too busy screaming to complain. Never in his life did he allow someone to top him. It was too risky.

And here he was, on his back and nearly completely exposed. Harry groaned quietly at the lack of friction he was getting from moving so slowly. ''Ramon, are you wanting to walk in the morning?'' He was serious about the question. Cisco's eyes widened and he looked into ice blue irises. ''I'd like to, now that you mention it. Why?''

Harry sighed and thrust forward sharply and quickly. Cisco's. Body shook and arched suddenly as Harry slammed home on his prostate. Harry wanted to do this hard and fast. He just wasn't sure Cisco could take him as hard as he was willing to go. ''Just do it already. I'm not really looking to get anything done tomorrow, anyway,'' Cisco caved, seeing an expression of anguish at the concept of going slow and soft all over Harry's face.

And Harry started to thrust into him like a wild animal, hitting the boy's prostate every single time. The older scientist committed the feeling of Cisco's insides to memory with each movement. The sound of flesh meeting denim repeatedly made his already preoccupied brain realize that he was still wearing his own black jeans. But he couldn't care less at that moment.

Cisco's hair fell everywhere, a few strands even falling into his mouth. His head dropped against the floor a bit and his mouth fell open. He couldn't manage anything more than choked gasps and high pitched whines. Cisco reached out for something to hold onto, and wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's neck.

Harrison secretly loved every wheezing raspy breath that flew past the boy's lips; they urged heat to pool in his loins. And Cisco's whole pelvis was rattling with pleasure as it was slammed into.

''Harry...please..!'' Cisco's nails dug into the flesh of the other man's neck. Harry nuzzled Cisco's jaw in response and listened intently for his pulse over his choked cries. He snaked a hand in between their bodies to grip Cisco's aching cock. The heat of the hardened member at his fingertips was more than enough for him. Harrison gave one last thrust as hard as he could and emptied himself into the body beneath him.

Just the feeling of warm seed flooding his ass was what set Cisco off. Just as his cocked jerked and coated Harry's hand with thick cum, Cisco's arms lost their hold on the other's neck. They dropped to the floor at his sides and his chest heaved with wheezing breaths.

Harry remained hunched over Cisco, even giving a few gentle strokes to milk the rest of his orgasm,to which the engineer shuddered but gave no verbal reply. They both stayed like that for a good ten minutes. Cisco, after all of that, wasn't planning on moving. Nothing in the universe could get him to even open his eyes. He didn't care how exposed he was. Cisco was content.

Eventually, Harry sat up and slowly pulled out. Both men gave a groan at the disconnection. Cisco had felt so full with Harry in him. Now, he felt...well, empty. And he whined somewhat when he felt Harry sliding his jeans back on. Still in a euphoric and over sensitive haze from his climax, a muttered ''No'' slipped past his lips when Harry ran his hands over his now denim clad hips to soothe him.

He didn't bother with the boy's shoes. Cisco could handle those himself. What's more, he bent his legs at the knee to bring them closer to himself. But Harry stayed close. He even reached out to stroke gentle circles on his cheek. His hand then trailed down towards Cisco's torso, where he noticed his shirt was clinging to his skin. Harry nudged the fold of the engineer's jacket aside and saw the shirt was practically drenched.

''Cisco, why is your shirt wet?''


	2. Chapter 2

_"Cisco, why is your shirt wet?"_

Cisco's eyes widened. If the scene were a cartoon, the sound of glass shattering would have come in perfect sync. "Get off of me!" He shoved the man as hard as he could and bolted, leaving Harry stunned and confused. This has to be the fastest he's ever seen Cisco run from something.

Cisco ran to the showers. He needed to cool off, needed to lower his body temp. The cool tiles met his back, and they felt like a godsend. They were incredible. For comfort he slid down to the floor of the stall. Cisco swung an arm out to hit the shower handle.

Freezing water started to soak him through to his skin beneath his clothes, making the engineer moan in obscenity. He was in heaven... Well, almost. He fumbled with his jacket, forcing soaked fabric down his arms with some struggle. The blue garment hit the wet floor, and Cisco all but ripped his t-shirt off.

He was submissive to the water raining down on him. He leaned against the wall, baring his chest to it, moaning again in sweet relief. Brown irises turned hazy with comfort, and his eyes were half lidded. He didn't have to do this much these days. Since he'd had no lover. So when he reached a state of arousal, he usually didn't have much to worry about. He would just wash his clothes when he was satisfied.

 _'The jig is up,'_ Cisco realized as he sat there. Harry would probably piece everything together soon. _'Cover blown.'_ He was pretty sure he was on his own for this. If Harry ridiculed him, he'd take it in stride. That's all his family did when it started. Hell, his mother was screaming at him in the doctor's office when he was fourteen.

It wasn't long after that when he started sleeping in the basement at home. His whole family tortured him over it. Well...his dad didn't. That was a plus. His father merely comforted him when he endured such vulgar taunts and teasing that often came out of nowhere.

After his...ability...to lactate during arousal was discovered, Cisco had started to break away from his family, separating himself and spending as much time out of the house as possible. When he was eighteen, and the other Harrison Wells had come to hire him for Star Labs, Cisco was again sleeping in the basement, wanting to be left alone.

He'd woken up to him gazing at his work bench in some fascination, unbothered by the disaster of pliers, wires, soldering irons and industrial adhesives. Cisco had lined the end of the basement with numerous tables for workbenches and blueprints were taped to the walls, some even hanging from the ceiling. Complete projects sat on mounts screwed into the walls. Beaten up chalk boards were leaning against the legs of the tables with ridiculous equations normally far above the average eighteen year-old scribbled all over. Incomplete circuit boards were strewn about, some at the foot of his bed and even one on his pillow that had tangled some of his hair.

Then, through the merciless cold shower, Cisco remembered Harrison turning around when he'd sat up in bed. His worn Star Trek blanket was still tangled around his waist. His vision was somewhat blurred from the haze of sleep. That one circuit board was hanging in his snarled hair and he was just barely aware that he was wearing a Pokemon shirt and Star Wars pajama pants.

And Harrison had laughed at the sight, finding the view rather hilarious. Especially when the boy had tried to get the hunk of soldered metal loose. Despite the mess, Cisco's love and dedication to his skills and the need of perfecting them had been seen.

"Cisco?" The call was faint, far down the corridor. Faint enough that Cisco didn't care. His eyelids were feeling heavy. Harry had fucked him pretty good. But he'd asked for it. And thank God he had. It was incredible. He knew what it was like to give it, but until tonight he'd known nothing of receiving it.

Secretly he wished he would experience it again. But now that Harry knew his secret, that seemed like a pipe dream. He sighed and curled up on the floor, waiting for the cold water to stifle the last of his ecstasy high. This in turn would cease milk production. At least, until his next hard-on. Though sopping wet, his shirt made a good pillow. Cisco answered the temptation of sleep and slowly his breathing evened out. May as well get one more peaceful nap in. He figured it would be his last peaceful nap for a while.

...

Various whispers and mumbling started to pry in the perfect darkness of Cisco's sleep. He rolled his head a bit against...a pillow? He groaned loudly and fought to open his eyes. What was going on?

His hands gripped at stiff sheets and it clicked. He was in the med bay. His torso felt constricted, he noticed, and it took quite a bit of effort to just wake up.

"Cisco?"

Said male finally opened his eyes and finds Caitlin looking at him intently. He looked around and moved to sit up, wincing at the constriction on his chest. Cisco's eyes trailed downward to look, and he saw an ace bandage wrapped firmly around. One shift and he could feel soft padding on the inside.

Cisco's head went back against the pillow with a dull rustle and he sighed. "Dammit..." He'd been found out by Caitlin now. And she clearly had some questions about the matter.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently, somewhat uncomfortable for some reason. It was odd to her, the knowledge of...well, Cisco's ability to produce milk. Caitlin had already been through his medical records, and knew that it was due to the hormones oxytocin and prolactin being a bit higher than normal in his body, but she still had questions. Hello! It was against nature!

"I'm fine," he finally forced, not ready to deal with her yet. Footsteps brought his eyes upward to see Harry off to the side, arms folded and, thank the multiverse, his t-shirt back in place. And on his left hand, three of his fingers wore white band aids.

Harry's eyes carried a few different feelings. There was some concern visible, some interest in Cisco's gift, and a bit of morbid fascination to it that he kept very well hidden from Caitlin's view. He obviously had some questions, too. Cisco then found it odd that he was more willing to deal with Harry first instead of the red headed doctor.

Cisco sat up completely and turned, hanging his legs over the side of the bed to get down.

"Um, I was wondering if we could talk about-"

"No," Cisco cut Caitlin off without missing a beat. He shoved himself off the bed and walked out of the med bay, mentally preparing himself for Harry's inquiries. He knew they were coming. It was only a matter of when.

...

''When'' didn't hit until two months later. No one had forgotten about the newfound knowledge. In fact, Caitlin was looking like she was going to have a seizure if she didn't get to ask Cisco her heap of questions soon.

Barry had been deliberately left in the dark. He was one of the last people Cisco wanted to know. And instead of surrendering to the pair of eyes that burned into his back, Harry had taken the initiative.

Brain swirling with the new data, his darker side had created new ideas and fantasies that he doubted Cisco would indulge. He was clearly embarrassed about being found out, and had spent the last several weeks on edge. He was afraid of being humiliated. Harry saw it.

Cisco was enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen when Harry finally confronted him. He came in and poured his own cup, leaned against the counter, and waited. Cisco looked at him suspiciously, but moved to sip his own coffee.

"So, when did you start lactating?"

Cisco lurched forward and nearly threw himself at the sink, choking on sugary caffeine and burning his throat. ''Not cool, Harry!'' he hacked, cheeks red with some embarrassment and the heat of the coffee on his esophagus. He coughed a few times before finally composing himself. Harry mentally smiled at the image before him.

Cisco gripped the counter tightly, a slight lean in his stance and the opposite hand pressed against his upper leg for support. Some of his hair was out of place at the fit, a few stray brown strands hanging in his face. A glare was leveled that might even unease Barry if given the chance.

''It's an honest question, Ramon.'' He took a sip of his coffee and smirked somewhat around the mug.

''It doesn't matter when it started,'' he answered, literally afraid of being tormented for it. Caitlin had him so fucking nervous over the whole thing that her heels clicking was enough to make him shake.

Harry sighed and set his mug down. ''It's not as strange to me as you might think. Earth-2, for all of its poor ideals, actually views the concept with some interest, and actually puts it to use.''

Cisco's glare slipped away to make room for astonishment. ''What?! How?!''

''The medical intervention is used in cases where a mother has just had a child and she dies, and the baby is still young enough that breast milk is needed.''

Cisco was surprised. He'd hadn't really thought too much about it, and never even considered looking at the subject from that point of view.

"Your case is interesting to me because it's never happened naturally on my earth, and here, it's generally a sign of a severe health problem."

Here, Cisco reddened further. Because he was perfectly healthy.

"So. I'll ask again. When did you start lactating?" And he waited. He watched the boy's eyes contort with discomfort, though less so when the question had been asked the first time. Clearly the subject had been used against him in the past.

"...I was thirteen and a half when it started. Fourteen when mom finally took me to a doctor because she didn't believe me at first. That had to be the most embarrassing appointment I've ever had." The redness was gone from his face by now. Cisco had turned a bit pale. He looked sick.

Harry decided he'd heard enough. It was then that Cisco walked off, heading for a bathroom and promptly throwing up in the sink. Upon that glorious sound of one's stomach being emptied, Harry scooped up his mug and dumped it down the sink. His desire for caffeine was gone with that noise. It's the third day in a row Cisco has run off to puke.

Harry quietly retraced the boy's steps and walked into the bathroom, moving to stand beside him and gently rubbing his back. The hand made Cisco freeze, but he didn't swing at it or glare at the man's reflection in the mirror. "Thanks," he finally said, so quietly Harry nearly missed it.

"What for?" the older scientist supplied. He wasn't sure he'd done anything that warranted thanks. But he had, although without really realizing it.

"For not beating me up for it. Stupid. But it means a lot."

* * *

 _ **Go easy on me, please! I spent A LOT of time digging and reading all over the place on this!  
**_


End file.
